Victor Potel
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Victor Potel (October 12, 1889 – March 8, 1947) was an American film character actor who began in the silent era and appeared in over 430 films in his 38-year career.
Victor Potel was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1889, and his acting career goes back almost to the beginning of the commercial film industry in the United States. He made his first silent film in 1910, a comedy short filmed in Chicago by Essanay Film Manufacturing Company called A Dog on Business. Potel continued to make films for Essanay, appearing in dozens of films every year, including most of the Broncho Billy series, and played a character called "Slippery Slim" in 80 movies. He also appeared in Universal Pictures' "Snakeville" series.
Potel's first talking picture was Melody of Love, starring Walter Pidgeon, made for Universal in 1928. and in the sound era he continued to work continuously and constantly, playing small parts and sometimes uncredited bit parts, all primarily comic roles due to his height (6 ft 1 in or 1.85 m) and gawkiness.
In addition to acting, on several occasions Potel also wrote and directed. In the 1920s he directed two silent shorts, The Rubber-Neck in 1924 and Action Craver in 1927, and contributed the story for Saxophobia in 1927. In the following decade, in the sound era, he was the dialogue director for The Big Chance (1933), and wrote the story for Inside Information in 1934). In 1935 he provided continuity and dialogue for Million Dollar Haul and the screenplay for Hot Off the Press. In the 1940s, Potel was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in nine films written and directed by Sturges.
Potel continued to work right up until his death on 8 March 1947. The final film he worked on, Relentless finished filming on 28 February of that year.
Acting (209 movies)
Forward, March!
1930
The Sin of Harold Diddlebock
1947
The Good Fellows
1943
Adventure's End
1937
The Palm Beach Story
1942
The Tomboy on Bar Z
1912
Alkali Ike's Auto
1911
The Bad One
1930
Broncho Billy and the Schoolmistress
1912
The Strange Case of Dr. Meade
1938
King of the Wild
1931
Christmas in July
1940
Who's Your Father?
1918
The Making of Broncho Billy
1913
Call of the West
1930
The Virginian
1929
The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
1944
Western Gold
1937
The Heart of a Child
1920
The Girl of the Golden West
1938
Broncho Billy and the Sisters
1915
Slim the Brave and Sophie the Fair
1915
When Slippery Slim Went for the Eggs
1915
Sophie's Home-Coming
1915
The Battle of Snakeville
1915
Snakeville's Blind Pig
1914
Snakeville's Rising Sons
1914
Slippery Slim Gets Square
1914
Broncho Billy and the Sheriff's Office
1914
Sentimental Sophie
1915
When Slippery Slim Bought the Cheese
1915
Ingomar of the Hills
1915
Alkali Ike and the Wildman
1913
Sullivan's Travels
1941
Broncho Billy's First Arrest
1913
Quincy Adams Sawyer
1922
The Fighting Marines
1935
Partners
1932
A Westerner's Way
1910
A Child of the West
1912
Broncho Billy and the Red Man
1914
Across the Plains
1911
Broncho Billy and the Bad Man
1914
The Corporation and the Ranch Girl
1911
Broncho Billy-Guardian
1914
Alkali Ike's Pants
1912
Broncho Billy Reforms
1913
Broncho Bill's Last Spree
1911
Broncho Billy's Squareness
1913
The Strike at the Little Jonny Mine
1911
Town Hall, Tonight
1911
Broncho Billy and the Vigilante
1915
A Story of Montana
1912
Broncho Billy's Pal
1912
Broncho Billy for Sheriff
1912
Alkali Ike Plays the Devil
1912
Alkali Ike Stung!
1912
Broncho Billy's Promise
1912
An Indian's Friendship
1912
Broncho Billy's Mexican Wife
1912
Broncho Billy and the Sheriff's Kid
1913
Broncho Billy's Gratefulness
1913
Alkali Ike and the Hypnotist
1913
Alkali Ike's Misfortunes
1913
Snakeville's New Doctor
1914
The Last Laugh
1913
The Three Gamblers
1913
Sophie's Hero
1913
A Romance of the Hills
1913
That Pair from Thespia
1913
A Snakeville Courtship
1913
A Night on the Road
1914
Sophie's New Foreman
1913
Slippery Slim Gets Cured
1914
Snakeville's Peace-Maker
1914
When Slippery Slim Met the Champion
1914
Broncho Billy Rewarded
1914
A Gamblers' Way
1914
Slippery Slim, The Mortgage and Sophie
1914
Snakeville and the Corset Demonstrator
1914
What Came to Bar Q
1914
Sophie and the Man of Her Choice
1914
Slippery Slim and the Impersonator
1914
Broncho Billy's Leap
1914
Broncho Billy and the Mine Shark
1914
The Bachelor's Burglar
1915
Sophie Starts Something
1914
The Snakeville Volunteer
1914
Sophie Pulls a Good One
1914
Pie for Sophie
1914
The Wooing of Sophie
1914
Sophie Finds a Hero
1914
Sophie Gets Stung
1914
A Horse on Sophie
1914
Sophie's Fatal Wedding
1914
Snakeville's Reform Wave
1914
Snakeville's New Waitress
1914
Broncho Billy, a Friend in Need
1914
Slippery Slim -- Diplomat
1914
A Tailor-Made Man
1922
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Million Dollar Haul | 1935 | Writer |